Shars Maestri

Shars is a student counsellor currently completing her Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and is working towards professional accreditation. She works within The Awareness Centre’s low-cost counselling service, offering support to clients experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties. Her training is integrative, with a foundation in person-centred therapy alongside psychodynamic and Gestalt approaches, enabling a deeper understanding of emotional patterns and relationships. She offers a warm and supportive space where clients can explore their thoughts and feelings at their own pace. She works from the belief that clients are the experts of their own experience and is particularly interested in supporting individuals to better understand themselves and how their past may be influencing their present. As Carl Rogers said, “It is the client who knows what hurts,” a principle that underpins her work.

She brings a warm, honest, and curious presence to her work, creating a space where clients can feel safe to be themselves without fear of judgement. She is gently challenging when needed, supporting clients to explore deeper aspects of their experience while remaining grounded and supported. Her work is rooted in authenticity and the therapeutic relationship, as she believes meaningful change often comes through being truly seen and understood. Working from a person-centred foundation, she allows clients to lead at their own pace, offering the core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard. When the client feels ready, she supports clients to explore psychodynamic elements of the work, developing an understanding of how past experiences and relationships may be influencing the present. She also incorporates Gestalt principles, bringing attention to the here-and-now and encouraging awareness of bodily sensations, helping clients to connect more fully with their emotional experience. She works with curiosity rather than judgement, supporting clients in exploring all parts of themselves, even those that may feel difficult to face.

Alongside her training, she has experience working in a care and support role with women who have faced complex and challenging life circumstances, including homelessness and mental health difficulties. This has deepened her understanding that life can be difficult and that not everyone has access to the same opportunities or support systems. Through this work, she has seen how being genuinely present and truly listening can make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. She has experience supporting individuals with emotional regulation and difficulties around sense of self and identity, and has a particular interest in helping clients build a more compassionate and understanding relationship with themselves.